Target trap



Dec. 3 1, 1935.

A. E. ROTH TARGET TRAP Filed July 15, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fz'y4 INVENTOR B Zlflhurll R0171 I ATTORNEY Dec. 31, 1935. v T 2,025,903

TARGET TRAP 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1932 INVENTOR. Hrihur B0271 F'a AZJTORNEYS.

A. E. ROTH TARGET TRAP Dec. 31, 1935.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 15, 1932 INVENTOR i Hrihuv ROU'L A TTOR NE y Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a target trap.

In throwing clay targets or pigeons, as they are generally called, either for trap, or skeet shooting, it is at present customary to grip the pigeon, which is a saucer-shaped disk of frangible material, between a pair of releasable fingers pivotally mounted on a throwing arm, which is swung outwardly by means of a spring, the fingers operating to release the pigeon and impart a spinning motion thereto.

An object of the present invention is to make an improved trap for the throwing of clay pigeons.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance with one feature of the invention, a base having a table member pivotally and tiltably mounted thereon. A throwing arm is pivotally mounted above this table member to swing in a plane parallel to the upper surface of said table, and a spring member and a brake member are mounted beneath the table to actuate the throwing arm and to prevent oscillation thereof upon completion of a throwing operation. Electrically energized trigger means are mounted to hold the throwing arm in a set position and to release it when it is desired to operate the trap, said trigger means being manually operable, if desired.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought out in the following description and the accompanying drawings, where- 1n:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the under surface of the pigeon throwing portion of a trap embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1. V

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of a brake actu ating arm.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal, sectional view through a spring supporting bracket, showing the spring and associated parts mounted thereon.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the complete trap, set up and ready to operate.

Figure 6 is a view, also in perspective, showing the trap tilted up to throw a pigeon substantially vertically, showing the extremely wide limit of operation of which this trap is capable.

Figure 7 is a view, in elevation, showing the under side of the throwing arm.

Figure 8 is a sectional view through the upper portion of the trap supporting base, showing a novel method of securing the legs in place.

Figure 9 is an enlarged view in elevation showing a trigger member, the solid lines showing it in released position, and the dotted lines showing it in set position.

Figure 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary View, showing an edge of the table at a point where the trigger mechanism is mounted, the throwing arm being shown as engaged by the trigger, and a pigeon in position ready for throwing.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the throwing arm, and a pigeon,- showing'how the serrated edge of the throwing arm engages the pigeon on its intermediate step portion, which greatly reduces the likelihood of breakage of pigeons.

Figure 12 is a sectional view on the line |2--l2 of Figure 2; and

Figure 13 is a view in perspective of a pigeon guide and positioning member.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a trap supporting base A has three legs I, which are preferably of iron pipe. These legs support a top member 2, which is preferably of hard wood, such as maple, having indentations 3 (see Figure 8) to receive the upper ends of the legs atan acute angle, as indicated in Figure 8. A triangular framework for retaining the legs comprises strap iron members 4 secured to the under surface of the top member 2 and extending an gularly outward and downward, the lower ends of these members being bent to substantially cylindrical form, as at 5, to receive a bolt 6 therein. Three similar strap iron members I are connected to the strap iron members 4 by the bolts 6, which pass through the lower ends of the strap iron members 4. A'disk 8, having an ar'igularly disposed peripheral portion 9 is mounted to slide freely on a bolt II]. A threaded handle member II is threaded onto the bolt II) which passes through the center of the top member 2, so that by screwing the handle member I I upwardly to raise the disk 8 into gripping engagement with the legs I, the legs are forced outwardly against the triangular strap iron framework, and also into the recess 3 to firmly hold the legs in position. By unscrewing the handle member H to release the disk 8 from gripping engagement with the legs, the legs may be readily removed when it is desired to transport the trap from one location to another.

A tiltable table andthrowing arm assembly B therefrom and is provided with a hand grip portion I 5 so that by means of this hand grip portion the trap may be moved pivotally from one side to the other to vary the trajectory of the pigeons thrown by the trap. Pivotally mounted upon the vertical side portion of the bracket I2 is a second bracket member l6 which has the transverse upper portion l1 thereof (see Figures 1 and 2) fixedly secured to a table member l8, as by means of bolts 19. The upper bracket member I6 is connected to the lower bracket member l2, as by means of a bolt 20, having a handle member 2! secured thereto by means of the bolt 29, which may be tightened to hold the brackets l2 and It in adjusted, tilted position. Fixedly securedto the upper bracket member 16 and to the table i8, as by means of bolts 22 (see Figure 1), is a spring supporting arm 23 which extends forwardly from the table member I8 and is bent downwardly at its outer end, as at 24. This downwardly bent end portion is provided with an interiorly threaded stud 25 on which is secured a spring-adjusting screw 26 having an operating handle 21 fixedly secured to its outer end. The inner end of the spring-adjusting screw is riveted as at 28'(see Figure 4) to form a head portion and is mounted to rotate freely in a spring end member 29 which is bent into gripping engagement with a heavy coil spring 30. The opposite end of the coil spring 30 from that to which is secured the member 29 is tapered inwardly as at 3| and within this tapered end is placed a smaller coil spring 32 of lighter tension than the spring 30. Inserted in the small end of the spring 38 and passing through the small spring 32 is a rod 33 having a nut 34 and locknut 35 on the inner end thereof; these nuts being adapted to rest upon the smaller spring 32 to prevent withdrawal of the rod 33. The outer end of the rod 33 is hook-shaped as at 35 and is adapted to engage a bolt 37 (see Figure 1) secured to .a brake drum 38. This brake drum 38 is preferably perforated for lightness, as at 39. The brake drum is fixedly mounted upon a pivot pin 43 which preferably has a squared shoulder M to fit into a squared opening in the center of the drum 38 to fixedly secure the drum on the pivot pin. A nut 42 holds the drum 38 securely against a shoulder 43 on the pivot pin. The pivot pin is pivotally mounted in a bushing 44which is mounted within an opening in the bracket I6 and in the table l8, and is securely held in position therein by means of a nut 45, a

recess for which is preferably provided in the;

upper surface of the table Hi. In Figure 2 the device is shown in inverted position so that the recess for the nut 45 is in normally what is the upper surface of the table [8.

A brake operating arm 46 (see particularly Figure 1, 2 and 3), is composed of a strip of sheet metal having one end 48 thereof bent to cylindrical shape, as shown in Figure 3, and having an arm 49 of reduced width extending outwardly therefrom, this arm being provided with an opening 59 in its outer end. A metal brake supporting to rest against the arm 46, asshown inFigure' 12.

A spring wire ring 55 is provided around the bushing 44 above the brake operating arm 43, as shown in Figure 2, to hold the brake operating arm in position on the bushing.

A combined brake operating and trigger re- 5 setting arm 56 is pivotally mounted on a pin 51, threaded into an opening adapted to receive it in the bracket l6, and a cam 58, see Figure 1, for operating this arm is provided on the drum 33.

Figure 1 shows the cam 58 in engagement with the brake actuating and trigger resetting arm 56 to operate said arm. A rod 59 is inserted through an opening in the outer end of the brake operating and trigger resetting arm and also passes through an opening in an arm 60, which is adapted to actuate trigger 6|. A coil spring 62 encircles the rod 59 beyond the arm 58 and the tension upon this spring is controlled by a nut 63 which is threadedly mounted on the rod 59. A rod 64 is mounted through an opening in the central portion of the arm 56 and passes through the opening 59 in the brake operating arm 46.

A similar spring 65 and nut 66 are mounted upon the rod 64 beyond the arm 56.

A wire 61 is hooked into the trigger operating arm 59 on the opposite side of the pivot from the rod 59 and is connected to a coil spring 63, the opposite end of which is hooked into engagement with the bracket Hi. The spring normally tends to move the trigger operating arm 60 to the trigger operating position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. Outward movement of the arm 59 by means of the cam 58 causes the trigger operating arm 69 to be moved by the rod 59 to the set, or solid line position shown in Figure 1, against the tension of the spring 68.

A member 59 (see Figure 1) is fixedly secured to the outer, or free, end of the trigger operating arm 69 to form an ofiset shoulder thereon, and this shoulder is adapted to be engaged by a metal plate H1 which is mounted on a bracket H by means of screws 12. These screws are each surrounded by small coil springs which normally hold the plate 10 outwardly so as to engage the shoulder formed by the member 69. An ordinary electromagnet i3 is mounted in a housing 14 and the core of this magnet, when energized, draws the metal plate 10 toward it, releasing it from engagement with the shoulder formed by the member 69 and permits the coil spring 68 to swing the trigger operating arm to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, when the cam 58 is moved to clear the arm 56.

The trigger BI is best shown in Figures 9 and 10 and comprises a strip of sheet metal pivotally mounted upon a bolt 15 and having a pin 16 fixedly secured to said trigger adjacent the opposite end thereof to extend through a slotted opening Ti in the table l8. An upturned portion 18 is provided on the outer, or right-hand end of the trigger, and is adapted to engage a stud 19 which extends downwardly from the lower surface of a throwing arm C. When the trigger is in the dotted line position shown in Figure 9, the upturned end portion 38 is in line with the stud 19 when the throwing arm C is moved to a set position. When the trigger operating arm 60 is released to the dotted line posiion shown in Figure 1, this arm strikes the pin 11, where it extends below the table I8, knocking the trigger 7O outwardly out of engagement with the stud 19, thus allowing the throwing arm C to swing around under the impulse of the spring 30 and throw the targets in the manner indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 6. The throwing arm C, preferably comprises two strips of sheet metal 80 and 8 l, the lower of which is preferably formed in the outline shown in Figure '7. Between the sheet metal arms 88 and 81 is provided a wooden member 82, and a second wooden member 83 is fitted on top of the upper sheet metal member 8! to round off the handle and prevent any sharp edges from injuring the hand of an operator. The intermediate wooden portion 82 is preferably formed to extend outward over a serrated edge 84 provided on the lower sheet metal member 80, which serrated edge engages the pigeon as it is thrown outwardly to thereby impart a spinning motion to the pigeon, which improves its flight through the air. The sheet metal members 88 and 8| are secured to the pivot post 40, as by means of spacing washers 85 and 86 and a nut 81, which firmly grip the arms between the washers and the nut and fixedly secures these arms to the pivot post 40.

A pigeon support member 88 comprises a curved guide strip of metal having pins 89 (see Figure l3) extending downwardly therefrom, adapted to enter openings 98 in the table l8. This curved guide member is adapted to be mounted upon the table 18, in either of two positions, as indicated in Figure 6. In this figure the pigeon guide member 88 is indicated in solid lines in the position it occupies when it is desired to throw singles, or but one pigeon at a time, the dotted lines indicating the position this guide member is mounted in when it is desired to throw doubles, or two pigeons at a time. In this Figure 6 a pair of pigeons to be thrown simultaneously are indicated in dotted lines, as are also the approximate paths of flight of the two pigeons indicated. The pigeon farthest out will leave the arm first, taking the course indicated by the lower line of dotted arrows, while the other pigeon, being in engagement with the arm longer will take approximately the line indicated by the upper line of dotted arrows. A single pigeon mounted on the guide member indicated in solid lines in this figure would take a course somewhere between these two lines of arrows.

The operation of the device is as follows, attention being directed particularly to Figures 1, and 6. in the following description of the operation:

The throwing arm C is grasped manually by the operator, as shown in Figure 5, and is drawn down to the set position shown in Figure 6. A small coil spring 92 (see Figure is mounted around a small bolt 83 and engages the pin and lower end of the bolt 11, normally holding the trigger 8| in the solid line position shown in Figure 1. After the device is set, as shown in Figure 6, the arm C will be slightly past dead center, so that the coil spring 38 will tend to draw the arm around in the clockwise position from the set position shown in Figure 6. turning the handle 21 the tension on the coil spring 38 may be adjusted, the stronger the tension on the spring, of course, the more powerful the throwing force of the arm 0 will be.

Assuming that it is desired to throw one pigeon at a. time, the guide member 88 will be mounted in the solid line position shown in Figure 6, and one pigeon placed forwardly of the arm in the position occupied by the right hand pigeon 94. If it is so desired at the same time, a second pigeon 95 may be placed rearwardly of the arm so as to be in position for the next throwing operation.

If it is desired to operate the trap manually,

the operator may pull the trigger down to the solid line position shown in Figure 9, which will release the arm and throw the pigeon out. The

loosening the bolt and tilting the upper bracket '5 l8 counter-clockwise from the position shown in Figure 5, to raise the trajectory. By swinging the lower bracket member l8 to the right or left by means of the handle M the trajectory will be altered to the left or right, respectively. When 10 the adjusting screw 21 is screwed outwardly to increase the tension, the small inner spring 32 will be fully depressed, even when the throwing arm is in the outward, or released, position, so that the adjacent convolutions of the small spring 15 32 rest upon each other. When the tension on the spring 38 is reduced by screwing the member 21 inwardly and the throwing arm is in the released position, the small, inner spring 32 expands to take up any slack which might other- 0 wise be present. After the arm is released, it swings outwardly, throwing the pigeon, and, as the throwing arm reaches the forward position, as shown in Figure 1, the cam 58 operates the arm 56 which applies the brake 52 to the drum 38 and arrests the arm, thereby preventing oscillation of the arm and preventing the arm from forcibly swinging past forward dead center. If this arm is permitted to oscillate it creates a considerable amount of vibration, and, if the operator should inadvertently be struck by this arm as it swings around, it is capable of causing severe injury. The brake completely arrests the arm as it passes forward dead center and thereby prevents such oscillation and reduces the possibility of injury to the operator. As the cam 58 moves the arm 56 outwardly to apply the brake, it slmultaneously moves the rod 59 outward, thereby swinging the trigger operating arm 68 to the solid line position, as shown in Figure 1, permitting the spring 92 (see Figure 10) to restore the trigger 6| to the normal, or solid line, position of Figure 9.

If it is desired to release the trap by electrically energized means, a pair of conductor wires 91 and 98 are mounted to binding posts 99 and I00, respectively, which conductors are in turn connected to the coil of the electro magnet 13, encased in the housing 14 (see Figure 1) in a well known manner. Frequently, it is desirable to release the trap electrically by an oificial on the firing line, and this may be accomplished by connecting the conductors 91 and 98 through a battery, or other suitable source of electrical enrgy, not shown, and through an ordinary type of push button or key, also not shown. Such electrical operation is particularly desirable when throwing doubles from two different traps, as in skeet. Both traps can, be connected through the same key, in a well known manner, so that by simultaneously forming a contact through both of the traps, the traps will both be released at the same instant.

It will be noted in Figures 10 and 11 that the throwing arm engages the pigeon on a shoulder I0! set inwardly from the outer flange of the pigeon. This is the standard type of clay pigeon and by thus engaging the pigeon on the inset shoulder, breakage of pigeons in throwing is greatly reduced, since this shoulder is a much stronger portion of the pigeon than the outer flange.

The device comprises a simple, effective, and durable trap having all of the features desired by trap shooters, including rapid spinning motion of the pigeon in flight, simplicity and ease of operation, since it is merely necessary to lay the pigeon on the table l8 and set the operating handle C, and rapidity of action, since two pigeons can be laid on the table l8 at the same time, as illustrated in Figure 6, and the second one used immediately after thefirst, as soon as the throwing arm can be again swung to a set position. The device is capable of extreme limits of adjustment, as shown in Figure 6,'it being possible with the present trap to throw a pigeon directly vertically from the trap, if desired, and

at any lateral angle through a radius of three.

hundred and sixty degrees.

I claim:

1. A target trap having a supporting base, a table adjustably mounted thereon, a throwing arm mounted to pivot in a plane parallel to the table top to engage a clay pigeon supported thereon, a drum rigidly connected to said throwing arm to rotate therewith, a cam carried by said drum, a brake operatively associated with said drum, cam actuated means connected to said brake to move said brake into engagement with said' drum upon completion of an operative movement of said throwing arm.

2. A target trap having a supporting base, a throwing arm rotatably mounted thereon, a drum fixedly connected to said throwing arm, spring means mounted to forcibly rotate said arm to throw a pigeon, brake means operatively associated with said drum, and cam means carried by said drum and operatively connected to said brake means to move said brake means into braking engagement with said drum upon completion of an operating movement of said throwing arm.

3. :A target trap having a supporting base, a table member supported thereby, a throwing arm adapted to swing in a plane parallel to said table to engage a clay pigeon supported on said table, actuating means operatively engaging said throwing arm to forcibly rotate said arm with respect to said table to throw a pigeon supported on said table, trigger means adapted. to releasably retain said throwing arm against the force of said actuating means, an arm pivotally mounted to normally engage an element of said trigger means, and electrically controlled means mounted to hold 10 said arm out of engagement with said trigger element, and to release said arm upon energization of said electrically controlled means to engage and actuate said trigger to release said throwing arm. 4. A target trap having a supporting base, a table member supported thereby, a throwing arm adapted to swing in a plane parallel to said table to engage a clay pigeon supported on said table, actuating means operatively engaging said throwing arm to forcibly rotate said arm with respect to said table to throw a pigeon supported on said table, trigger means adapted to releasably retain said throwing arm against the force of said actuating means, an arm pivotally mounted to normally engage an element of said trigger means, electrically controlled means mounted to hold said arm out of engagement with said trigger element, and to release said arm upon energization of said electrically controlled means to actuate said trigger to release said throwing arm, a cam carried by said throwing arm to rotate therewith, and cam actuating means connected to said trigger operating arm to move said arm to engagement with said electrically controlled means up- 35.

on a completion of a throwing operation of said throwing arm.

ARTHUR E. ROTH. 

